A laser illumination apparatus for illuminating a semiconductor film with a linear laser beam while scanning the semiconductor film with the linear laser beam. An optical system generates a linear laser beam having a beam width w by dividing a pulse laser beam that is emitted from a pulsed laser light source into a plurality of beams vertically and horizontally, and combines divisional beams after they have been processed into a linear shape individually. A mechanism is provided to move a substrate that is mounted with the semiconductor film. A condition W/20≦&Dgr;(r)≦x≦W/5 or &Dgr;(r)≦W/20≦x≦W/5 is satisfied, where r is a height difference of the surface of the semiconductor film, &Dgr;(r) is a variation amount of the beam width W as a function of the height difference r, and x is a movement distance of the substrate during an oscillation period of the pulsed laser light source.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A laser illumination apparatus which illuminates a semiconductor film with a linear laser beam while scanning the semiconductor film with the linear laser beam, comprising: a pulsed laser light source; an optical system for generating a linear laser beam having a beam width W by dividing a pulse laser beam that is emitted from the pulsed laser light source into a plurality of beams vertically and horizontally and combining divisional beams after they have been processed into a linear shape individually; and means for moving a substrate that is mounted with the semiconductor film, wherein a condition W/20 (r) x W/5 is satisfied, where r is a height difference of a surface of the semiconductor film, (r) is a variation amount of the beam width W as a function of the height difference r, and x is a movement distance of the substrate during an oscillation period of the pulsed laser light source.
2. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein r 1,000 m.
3. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein r 100 m.
4. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate has a size in a range of 100 mm 100 mm to 1,000 mm to 1,000 mm.
5. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate has a size in a range of 300 mm 300 mm to 800 mm to 800 mm.
6. A laser illumination apparatus which illuminates a semiconductor film with a linear laser beam while scanning the semiconductor film with the linear laser beam, comprising: a pulsed laser light source; an optical system for generating a linear laser beam having a beam width W by dividing a pulse laser beam that is emitted from the pulsed laser light source into a plurality of beams vertically and horizontally and combining divisional beams after they have been processed into a linear shape individually; and means for moving a substrate that is mounted with the semiconductor film, wherein a condition (r) W/20 x W/5 is satisfied, where r is a height difference of a surface of the semiconductor film, (r) is a variation amount of the beam width W as a function of the height difference r, and x is a movement distance of the substrate during an oscillation period of the pulsed laser light source.
7. An apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein r 1,000 m.
8. An apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein r 100 m.
9. An apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the substrate has a size in a range of 100 mm 100 mm to 1,000 mm to 1,000 mm.
10. An apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the substrate has a size in a range of 300 mm 300 mm to 800 mm to 800 mm.
11. A laser illumination apparatus which illuminates a semiconductor film with a linear laser beam while scanning the semiconductor film with the linear laser beam, comprising: a pulsed laser light source; an optical system for generating a linear laser beam having a beam width W by dividing a pulse laser beam that is emitted from the pulsed laser light source into a plurality of beams vertically and horizontally and combining divisional beams after they have been processed into a linear shape individually; and means for moving a substrate that is mounted with the semiconductor film, wherein a condition W/20 rD/2F x W/5 is satisfied, where r is a height difference of a surface of the semiconductor film, D is a dimension, in a direction perpendicular to a generatrix of a final lens of the optical system, of a beam incident region of the final lens, F is a distance between the generatrix of the final lens and the semiconductor film, and x is a movement distance of the substrate during an oscillation period of the pulsed laser light source.
12. An apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein r 1,000 m.
13. An apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein r 100 m.
14. An apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the substrate has a size in a range of 100 mm 100 mm to 1,000 mm to 1,000 mm.
15. An apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the substrate has a size in a range of 300 mm 300 mm to 800 mm to 800 mm.
16. A laser illumination apparatus which illuminates a semiconductor film with a linear laser beam while scanning the semiconductor film with the linear laser beam, comprising: a pulsed laser light source; an optical system for generating a linear laser beam having a beam width W by dividing a pulse laser beam that is emitted from the pulsed laser light source into a plurality of beams vertically and horizontally and combining divisional beams after they have been processed into a linear shape individually; and means for moving a substrate that is mounted with the semiconductor film, wherein a condition rD/2F W/20 x W/5 is satisfied, where r is a height difference of a surface of the semiconductor film, D is a dimension, in a direction perpendicular to a generatrix of a final lens of the optical system, of a beam incident region of the final lens, F is a distance between the generatrix of the final lens and the semiconductor film, and x is a movement distance of the substrate during an oscillation period of the pulsed laser light source.
17. An apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein r 1,000 m.
18. An apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein r 100 m.
19. An apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the substrate has a size in a range of 100 mm 100 mm to 1,000 mm to 1,000 mm.
20. An apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the substrate has a size in a range of 300 mm 300 mm to 800 mm to 800 mm.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
December 15, 1998
March 5, 2002
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